To Completed for each of our Monthly Book Talks and shared on your blog. You may complete a project that is not on the list but you must provide a written desciption of it too.

Creative ProjectsIn the News Create the front page of a newspaper that tells about events and characters in your book. The newspaper page might include weather reports, an editorial or editorial cartoon, ads, etc. The title of the newspaper should be something appropriate to the book. The front page should look as much like a real newspaper as possible with writing in columns, headlines, a newspaper title, etc. You can include a variety of different kinds of features including horoscopes for each character, "Dear Abby" letters, comic strips, news articles, advertisements, personal ads, an obituary section, or anything else you might find in a newspaper. Everything you include; however, must be based on events and characters in the book you read. Characters Come to Life Create a life-size "portrait" of one of the characters from your book. Use poster board or cardboard. Understand that the poster must actually be the same size as the character, as if she or he were standing right next to you. You may need to use two or three pieces of poster board or a five or six foot long piece of butcher paper. Make sure you can get access to these supplies before you choose this option.News Report Pretend that you are an anchorwoman or anchorman for a T.V. network. Write paragraph-long news snippet for a breaking story from your book. Dress up as a professional anchorperson and perform the news. Watch a few news shows to get the feel for the way they speak, write, and deliver the news. Diorama Construct a diorama (three-dimensional scene which includes models of people, buildings, plants, and animals) of one of the main events of the book. Usually an old shoebox works as a backdrop for the scene of a diorama. If you want to create a diorama on a bigger scale, use a cardboard box instead. Find and create miniature replicas of the objects and place them in the scene. Be prepared to tell us about your scene.Travel Agent Prepare a travel brochure for the main town or city in which your book takes place. Take a piece of letter-sized paper and fold it into thirds length-wise. Design a cover for the travel brochure, with the name of your book's town or city. A travel brochure is meant to entice potential travelers to visit the place being advertised, so highlight the different attractions and sights of the town/city. Use pictures you have found or drawn to add color and interest to your brochure.Script It Write a movie script for a favorite scene in a book just read. At the top of the script, assign real-life TV or movie stars to play each role. Be prepared to tell us why you chose these actors/actresses for each part.Collage Do a collage on poster board showing pictures or 3-D items that relate to the book, and then write a sentence or two beside at least 8 pictures detailing their significance. Use newspaper and magazine pictures to decorate your collage, as well as any other photos or 3-D materials you have access to. The collage should be made of found pictures and objects. The poster board should be completely covered.Sculpt It Create a sculpture of a character. Use any combination of soap, wood, clay, sticks, wire, stones, old toy pieces, or any other object. This is a sculpted piece, and not a drawing, so be sure to use tactile objects and materials to sculpt your character. Also, make sure your sculpture is big enough for observers to see the details of the character's face (Are the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth discernable?). An explanation of how this character fits into the book, and why you chose to depict them the way you did should be explained when you present it. Scrapbook Create a scrapbook for one of the main characters that reflects the many events that occur to him or her in the novel you read. You can include photographs, letters, post cards, telegrams, a family tree, newspaper article clippings, memorable items, or anything else you can think of that you might find in a scrapbook. If you include objects or photographs, be sure to write captions below describing what they are or what's going on and their significance to the character. Create a nice cover for your scrapbook. Map If the book you read involves a number of locations within a town, country, or geographical area, create a map. First, make a list of all the locations - houses, stores, streets, parks, lakes, etc. mentioned in your book's setting. Then, draw the map showing a bird's eye view of the area. Label each location. Below the map, create a legend with a list of all the locations and a description of important events that occur at each. Make sure your map has lots of details, is colorful, and large enough to be seen clearly. Timeline Brainstorm a list of all the major events in the plot from beginning to end and then organize them. Create a time line using a long strip of butcher paper. On your time line, write a short description of what happens for each event and, if possible, try to identify the time of each event with dates, seasons, etc. Add pictures and symbols to make your time line colorful. Include at least 8 events on your timeline.Character Trait DiagramCreate a Venn diagram to illustrate similarities and differences in the traits of two of the main characters in a book just completed. (A student might elect to create a Venn diagram showing similarities and differences between the book's main character and the student!). Draw the Venn diagram on a piece of poster board. Sell It! Pretend to be a publicist for the book that's just been read. Write and then deliver a 60-second speech that will persuade other students that they should read the book. Writing and speaking persuasively will be especially difficult if you didn't like the book. If that's the case, share that fact after completing the speech. Interview a Character Compose six to eight questions to ask a main character in a book just completed. Write the character's response to each question. The questions and answers should provide information that show the student read the book without giving away the most significant details. Create a Comic Book Turn a book, or part of it, into a comic book, complete with comic-style illustrations and dialog bubbles. Picture Books After reading your book, create a picture book version of the story that would appeal to younger students. Character Trait Chart Create a chart with three columns. Each column is headed with the name of one of the book's characters. As you read the book, keep a record of the traits each character possesses and include an incident that supports each trait. "Dear Diary" Create a diary or journal and write at least five entries that might have been written by a character in a book just read. The entries should share details about the story that will prove that you read the book. Make a New Book Jacket It should include an attractive picture or cover design, an original summary of the book, information on the author and illustrator, and information about other books by the author.Puppet Show Convert your book into a puppet show. Make simple puppets (stick puppets, finger puppets, paper bag puppets, and so on) or complex puppets (marionettes) and present the story or an exciting scene from it.Play it AgainSelect songs that remind you of the book you read and create a CD holder and CD. You should include at least five songs, and the CD holder should be decorated with the names of the songs listed on the back. Be prepared to tell us why each of the songs you selected relate to the book.Brown Bag ReportThink of at least five objects (seven maximum) that represent different characters and events in the book you read. You can use real things or make them yourself. Use construction paper to cover the brown bag, and illustrate the bag with a scene from the book. Be prepared to talk about each of your items and to share their importance and connection to the book.Dear Abby Letters People write to a column in a newspaper or magazine called "Dear Abby" to ask for advice or help when they are caught in a difficult or troubling situation. Write three letters to "Dear Abby" from the point of view of one or more characters from your book. Be sure to use the letter format. Then answer the letters as if you were "Dear Abby" giving advice to the character(s).